Commonly, a firefighter wears a protective garment, such as a turnout coat or a suit of coveralls, which is flame resistant and which provides a thermal barrier and a moisture barrier, along with similarly protective gloves. Typically, however, such a garment does not provide a barrier against gaseous, vaporous, or other chemical or biological agents.
Commonly, a worker dealing with a chemical or biological hazard wears a protective garment, such as a suit of coveralls, which provides a barrier against chemical agents, biological agents, or both, along with similarly protective gloves, which are taped securely to the sleeves of the protective garment so as to close breaches in the barrier. Typically, however, such a garment is not flame resistant and does not provide a thermal barrier.
In some situations, it would be very useful for a firefighter, a rescue worker, or a chemical or biological worker to wear a protective garment that would be flame resistant and that would provide a thermal barrier and a moisture barrier, over a protective garment that provides a barrier against such chemical agents or biological agents and that would have protective gloves secured, as by taping, to its sleeves. However, a person wearing a protective garment, such as a suit of coveralls, with protective gloves secured, as by taping, to its sleeves would find it to be very difficult to insert his or her arms into the sleeves of a protective garment, such as a turnout coat or a suit of coveralls, as known heretofore.